So Rudd has been pushed out of the front bench in Julia Gillard’s cabinet reshuffle, despite Rudd wanting a ministerial portfolio. Further evidence of Julia Gillard’s vindictiveness and desperation for power. Gillard is obsessed with power. Consider the following.

As far as anyone can tell Gillard has limited interests outside of politics. Apart from her de facto partner and parents, Gillard has no hobbies or personal pursuits and no fall back if her life in politics fails. By her own admission she has put career ahead of family and has rejected the central institution of society, marriage. Politics is therefore everything for Gillard. Failing at politics would be like failing at life. Probably in response to this, Gillard staged a photo op yesterday with the Fairfax media with some rent-a-friends in a Canberra cafe. She looked awkward. 

Gillard has shown the desperate lengths she will go to further her own case by stabbing her ‘friends’ in the back and lying to the public and her leaders, both in 2007 and now in 2010. When push comes to shove Gillard is not about to give up her life to tell the truth to her colleagues and the voting public. Politics is her life and failure would be a crushing blow to a person with such limited life experience and interests. Is this the sort of person we want running the country? Such an emotionally unstable and fragile person. Take away politics and Gillard has nothing left.

So when Gillard says she is interested in negotiating with the mining industry over the ALP’s absurd tax can anyone take her seriously when she also tells her ‘friends’ in the media she wants a deal after the election? Or when she claims she believes in success being rewarded and not punishing those that play by the rules. Not exactly the approach she took in claiming the PM’s office. And then she has to explain the single biggest waste of tax payers money in Federal history with the childishly named Building the Eduction Revolution. $8 billion wasted, millions of which went to her union mates via state construction fees, which no doubt will be passed back to the ALP’s re-election fund.

Been watching the TODAY programme this morning. Generally gushing and sympathetic pro-ALP coverage. Channel Nine pulled just about everyone in – parents, distant relatives, old lesbian partners - to tell the viewers just how great Gillard is, despite the fact that she just stabbed the elected PM in the back after repeated assurances over many weeks that she supported Rudd. She has basically been lock step with Rudd on every disastrous policy the government has pushed – especially the education building programme full of multi-million dollar toilet blocks and dysfunctional random buildings.

Gillard is tainted. Guilty by association. She is easily the most left-wing PM in living memory. Virtually no critical word was uttered against Gillard by Channel Nine. Some encouragement though. Laurie Oaks said Gillard would likely romp home in the next election. This is the same commentator that claimed Tony Abbott would be a disaster for the Coalition. So using a bit of main stream media logic, Gillard will become an unmitigated election disaster. Voters are going to get pretty tired fast listening to Gillard’s coarse voice. It will become like a rat nibbling at voters brains for the months that follow. Unbearable.

UPDATE I

Continuing to listen to TODAY. Looks like the ALP is doing its best to portray Rudd’s back stabbing as mutual. For the greater good. Rudd fully supports it, etc… Once again Channel Nine is offering zero criticism of the government or the ALP. Apparently Rudd had a good cry when he found out that it was all over for him. It was all pretty sudden, so he must have been shocked at being rolled for policies that the ALP left supported that left the ALP so unpopular.

I don’t recall the same gushing coverage for Tony Abbott when he became leader. The MSM went after him.

Laurie Oaks said there would be no voter backlash against Gillard for the dumping of Rudd. Another prediction worth monitoring. Rudd is still relatively popular though. What the opinion polls tell us is that the ALP government is the problem. I don’t see how changing leaders to some one like Gillard who has been so closely associated with the government is going to solve the ALP’s problems.

Couldn’t help notice that there are no Coalition opinions being sought. I guess they are letting events play themselves out or Channel Nine are not interested in what they have to say. This is Gillard’s moment and the media are no about to let the facts get in the way of her rise to be PM.

Oaks is going on about Rudd saving the economy from the global financial crisis. Oaks might want to do a quick fact check of the national accounts. The private sector went into recession and what Rudd did do was all too much too late. A number of RBA board members have basically said as much over recent month. Board member Warwick McKibbin said this week that Rudd panicked.

Oaks just said that Rudd is really ‘not a bad bloke’ after all. Good grief! How transparent can Oaks get?

UPDATE II

Rudd is speaking, spruiking his phantom achievements. All funded through debt and taxes of course. Nearly threw up. Rudd just started talking about health reform. He has done nothing other than throw a bunch of debt-funded money at the states with basically no accountability or fundamental change in how health care is delivered. From recent reports his reform package is still a work in progress. I guess it is something for Gillard to sort out.

Rudd is having a little cry. Come on Rudd tell us what you really think! Emotionally, he does not appear to be able to deal with his historic rejection. Who could?

I seriously can’t think of a single major election promise that Rudd announced at the last election that he has either fulfilled or has actually worked. He just mentioned his homeless policy. He has missed every significant KPI since the policy was introduced. Give me a break!

He is claiming credit for Australia’s place at the G20. I think the size of our economy did that.

He is now talking about his Aboriginal policy – does not mention his housing policy. He has spent millions and how many houses have been built yet? Not many. Certainly not enough for him to claim that he has kept his election policy.

What is clear is that Rudd was incapable of managing a single policy of any significant note. Gillard is not far behind.

I just wish Rudd would show us the real man. You know, swearing, verbally abusing women, threatening people, insulting foreign governments and close allies, etc….

Rudd coming to an end. Spent nearly the whole time speaking about himself and not much about the country. Talks a little about his left-wing theology. Talks about wife. More personal indulgence. Pity party, etc… Bring out the violins. Canberra press gallery love it.

Rudd says he will stick around. Sharpening the knives no doubt.

UPDATE III

Joooollliaaa Gillllaaarrrd speaks. Sounds like she is about to have a little Rudd-style cry as well.

Says leadership is about authority. Gee, don’t get in her way. Toughening up now. Scare campaign about health and education at the next election coming.

Accepts errors and omissions made by Rudd government. We’ll see how much she is willing to bear.

Fact check – claims the GFC was the biggest financial downturn since the Great Depression. Well not for Australia.

Fact check – claims Hawke begun the economic reforms. Actually it was Malcolm Fraser and John Howard and Treasurer that got the ball rolling.

Wants a price on carbon. Crazy. The economics don’t add up.

Will negotiate over mining tax. Won’t work. Gillard works on the same assumption as Rudd – that tax creates wealth. No one ever got wealthy through higher taxes.

Says Rudd is great for various highly debatable and dubious claims.

Feel good comments, etc… all pretty boring. Nothing revealing.

First Gillard lie. Claims the Coalition will cut health and education budgets.

Second Gillard lie. Claims the Coalition is fear mongering about border control.

Wants the mining industry to stop advertising campaign. Why would they? Gillard is obviously scared about the issue. Seems to think that taxes are the way to ensure national prosperity. Crazy stuff. It is what one might expect a hardened, industry and freedom hating socialist to say.

Looks like Rudd is having second thoughts about an early election:

“We have an election due by whatever it is, March or April next year, and we only have three-year terms,” he said.

“You’ve got to use the time effectively, you can’t just dodge hard questions like tax reform, you’ve got to engage in it.”

Not a strong indication, but I doubt Rudd will call an election right in the middle of his popularity slump. Early next year is my best bet, before the NSW election in March 2011. There is no way Rudd would call an election in April, certainly not in March, with the annihilation faced by NSW ALP.

According to a recent poll Rudd would see an over 8 per cent swing against him in WA, meaning the loss of 4 seats.

The Westpoll published in the West Australian newspaper shows Labor’s primary vote has fallen to just 26 per cent compared with the Coalition’s 52 per cent.

After preferences, the Coalition leads 62 per cent to 38 per cent.

The survey was taken during Mr Rudd’s recent visit to Perth where he continued negotiations with mining companies over the new resources tax.

Fremantle would be the only seat held by the ALP in WA. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith would also lose his seat. Don’t know what it would do for the ALP’s Senate ticket. Can’t imagine it would be good.

All is not well in paradise.

In the first public sign of disunity within the Rudd cabinet over the resource super-profits tax, Mr Crean said late on Wednesday the government should have consulted business before announcing its scheme and was now acting to “fix” its error…

By mid-afternoon, government sources said Mr Crean would release a statement clarifying his comments. But when that statement came Mr Crean did not recant his criticism of the lack of early consultation before the RSPT was announced on May 2.

Instead, he said the government was now engaged in “serious and exhaustive consultation” and criticism of the process from mining companies did not “stack up”.

Simon Crean is one of the few senior ministers that has not been tainted by Rudd andhis ideas. Suggestions that Gillard could become leader before the next election are miss-placed. She has a record as disastrousas Rudd’s. If the ALP does look to a new leader it will likely be Crean or someone of his ilk.